---
title: "What the sources say about the Mandarin Duck | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "36 claims from the Mandarin Duck profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/mandarin-duck-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/mandarin-duck/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Mandarin Duck (*Aix galericulata*)

> 36 claims from the Mandarin Duck profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Mandarin Duck](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/mandarin-duck/)

## Aix galericulata (Mandarin duck). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aix_galericulata/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Wooded ponds and fast, rocky streams in forests from eastern Siberia to China and Japan | The Mandarin duck breeds in eastern Siberia, China, and Japan ... The Mandarin lives in the forests of China and Japan. They prefer wooded ponds and fast flowing rocky streams to swim, wade, and feed in. (note: stats.habitat) |
| tree-hole nests up to nine meters high | Nest are alway in a hole in a tree and can be up to thirty feet from the ground. (note: stats.superpower, second half; 9 meters converted from 30 feet) |
| A mandarin duck weighs between 428 and 693 grams | Range mass 428 to 693 g 15.08 to 24.42 oz |
| In full plumage the male carries a pair of sail feathers raised upright above its back, a crest of orange and cream feathers and a broad white eye-stripe | In full plumage, the male has a pair of "sail" feathers that are raised vertically above the back, a crest of orange and cream feathers, and a broad white eye-stripe that is bounded above and below by darker feathers. |
| The female is duller: an overall grey, with a curving white stripe behind the eye and a scatter of white blotches on her underside | The female is duller in color and has an overall grey appearance marked by a curving white stripe behind the eye and a series of white blotches on the underparts. |
| In China and Japan, the bird serves as a symbol of happiness and marital fidelity | The Mandarin is held in high esteem by the Japanese and the Chinese. In these countries, they serve as a symbol of happiness and marital fidelity. |
| Mandarin ducks always nest in tree holes, up to nine meters (thirty feet) high | Nest are alway in a hole in a tree and can be up to thirty feet from the ground. (note: 9 meters, converted from 30 ft; "alway" is the source's own typo for "always") |
| The female lines the hole with down and lays nine to twelve white eggs, one a day, then incubates them alone for 28 to 30 days | In preparation for egg laying, the female lines the nest is with down. Clutch sizes range from nine to twelve white oval eggs that are laid at daily intervals. Incubation is solely performed by the female and last between 28 and 30 days. |
| The eggs hatch within a few hours of each other. Once they all have, the mother calls from the ground below, and one by one the ducklings clamber out and drop. Every one of them lands unhurt, and the family sets off for the nearest feeding ground. | When all the eggs are hatched (they hatch within a few hours of each other), the mother calls to the chicks from the ground. Each chick then crawls out of the hole and launches itself into a free fall. Amazingly, all the chicks land unhurt and are en route to the nearest feeding ground. |
| Once they can fly, after 40 to 45 days, the ducklings leave to join a new flock | Once the chicks are able to fly (after 40-45 days), they leave to join a new flock. |
| Wild mandarin ducks breed across eastern Siberia, China, and Japan, nesting beside wooded ponds and fast, rocky forest streams, and winter in southern China and Japan | The Mandarin duck breeds in eastern Siberia, China, and Japan and winters in southern China and Japan. ... The Mandarin lives in the forests of China and Japan. They prefer wooded ponds and fast flowing rocky streams to swim, wade, and feed in. |
| A population living wild in Britain descends from released captive-bred ducks | There is a small free-flying population in Britain stemming from the release captive bred ducks. (note: ADW's 'small' dropped: BTO's current page gives 4,400 UK pairs (2007-11) and a 663% rise since 1995) |
| Animal Diversity Web names their bad taste as one factor that has helped the species survive: mandarin ducks are not hunted for food | One factor that has helped the Mandarin to survive is their bad taste. These ducks are not hunted for food. (note: FAQ 2) |

## Mandarin Duck. BTO BirdFacts.

https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/mandarin-duck

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The oldest ringed bird on Britain's records lived 10 years, 4 months and 25 days | Maximum age from a ringed bird 10 years, 4 months, 25 days (set in 1999) |
| about 4,400 breeding pairs and 14,000 birds in winter, both estimates for 2007 to 2011 | UK (breeding) 4400 pairs (2007-11) Source UK (winter) 14 thousand (2007-11) (note: FAQ 1; '14 thousand' in the source is 14,000; '2007 to 2011' is the source's '(2007-11)') |
| Live adults measured in Britain have wings about 23.5 centimeters long | Wing length and body weights are from live birds ( source ). Wing length Average ±1 std deviation; range and sample size in brackets. Juvenile 226.4±10.3 mm (212-237 mm, N=25) All adults 234.9±8.3 mm (223-249 mm, N=230) (note: size; 234.9 mm mean = 23.5 cm; BTO biometrics are British ringing data) |
| weightKg: 0.62 | All adults 616±64.9 g (500-700 g, N=188) (note: settle #889) |

## Tang et al. (2025). Sexually dimorphic sail feathers in the Mandarin duck as a model for lifelong developmental modulation. Scientific Reports.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-20446-3

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The tree-hole nesting duck whose drake grows an enlarged, brightly colored sail feather every breeding season | Remex 12, a secondary flight feather on each side of male Mandarin ducks, becomes an enlarged, asymmetric and brightly colored sail feather during mating season. It returns to a more symmetric feather with a muted pigmentation pattern outside of the mating season. (note: tagline) |
| An ordinary flight feather that regrows into a showy sail every breeding season, and tree-hole nests up to nine meters high | Remex 12, a secondary flight feather on each side of male Mandarin ducks, becomes an enlarged, asymmetric and brightly colored sail feather during mating season. (note: stats.superpower, first half) |
| Each sail is remex 12, a secondary flight feather on each wing | Remex 12, a secondary flight feather on each side of male Mandarin ducks, becomes an enlarged, asymmetric and brightly colored sail feather during mating season. |
| The sails play an important role in attracting a female | Male sail feathers play an important role in attracting a female mate |
| The same feather follicle stem cells on the drake's wing grow an enlarged, asymmetric, brightly colored sail for the mating season, then a more symmetric, muted feather outside it | Remex 12, a secondary flight feather on each side of male Mandarin ducks, becomes an enlarged, asymmetric and brightly colored sail feather during mating season. It returns to a more symmetric feather with a muted pigmentation pattern outside of the mating season. ... Hence, feather follicle stem cells can form different feather phenotypes (form and color) that are modulated by sexual, seasonal and regional cues. (note: blockquote) |
| Researchers who sampled mandarin ducks' blood every month for 42 months | blood samples were acquired monthly from hens and drakes. Serum estradiol (Fig.  4 a) and testosterone (Fig.  4 b) levels were charted over 42-month period (note: FAQ 3; 'every month' paraphrases 'monthly') |
| androgens and estrogens peak before the breeding season, and that estrogen peaks before each feather molt. They suggest those hormones may shape the sail | Systemic levels of androgens and estrogens peak before the breeding season, potentially influencing morphological and pigmentation features in specific regions of male and female birds. (note: FAQ 3; 'may shape' matches 'potentially influencing') |
| estrogen peaks before each feather molt | circulating sex hormone levels were monitored over 42 months, highlighting seasonal estrogen peaks before feather molts (note: FAQ 3) |
| On females, and at the male's neighboring remex 11, that feather stays small and muted all year | Female feathers at remex 12 and male feathers at remex 11 maintain a small size with muted pigmentation throughout the year. (note: 'all year' paraphrases 'throughout the year') |
| Nobody has proved what does | Although further investigation is needed to establish causal relationships (note: FAQ 3) |
| but say further work is needed to show cause and effect | Although further investigation is needed to establish causal relationships (note: FAQ 3) |
| One Feather, Two Shapes | Remex 12, a secondary flight feather on each side of male Mandarin ducks, becomes an enlarged, asymmetric and brightly colored sail feather during mating season. It returns to a more symmetric feather with a muted pigmentation pattern outside of the mating season. (note: blockquote lead: remex 12's two forms, breeding sail and non-breeding feather) |
| one flight feather on each side of the male regrows into an enlarged, brightly colored sail | Remex 12, a secondary flight feather on each side of male Mandarin ducks, becomes an enlarged, asymmetric and brightly colored sail feather during mating season. (note: settle #889 (vibe.reason)) |
| helps him attract a mate | Male sail feathers play an important role in attracting a female mate (note: settle #889 (vibe.reason)) |

## Munday & Rose (2022). Environmental and Social Influences on the Behaviour of Free-Living Mandarin Ducks in Richmond Park. Animals.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12192554

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Aquatic plants and seeds, with more invertebrates eaten as the spring breeding season approaches | Although Mandarins primarily feed on aquatic plants and a variety of seeds, in the spring it also feeds on aquatic invertebrates [ 24 ] as ducks attaining breeding condition require more protein [ 20 , 25 , 26 ]. (note: stats.diet) |
| Their usual diet is aquatic plants and a variety of seeds, but in spring they eat more invertebrates, as ducks getting into breeding condition need the extra protein | Although Mandarins primarily feed on aquatic plants and a variety of seeds, in the spring it also feeds on aquatic invertebrates [ 24 ] as ducks attaining breeding condition require more protein [ 20 , 25 , 26 ]. |
| tags: omnivore | Although Mandarins primarily feed on aquatic plants and a variety of seeds, in the spring it also feeds on aquatic invertebrates (note: settle #889; replaces herbivore) |

## Aix galericulata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22680107A131911544.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t22680107a131911544.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). Aix galericulata (Linnaeus, 1758), IUCN taxon 22680107. (note: stats.conservationStatus; category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List (iucnredlist.org refuses scripts), taxon id matches the assessment DOI) |
| Worldwide, the IUCN lists the mandarin duck as Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). Aix galericulata (Linnaeus, 1758), IUCN taxon 22680107. (note: category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List; iucnredlist.org refuses scripts) |